Research
by Aeyra
Summary: Crystal goes on a research mission when Professor Oak reports there are Hoenn Pokemon in the rivers north of New Bark Town, however, she's not going alone. The professor makes her take along Gold as a bodyguard, despite her protests, and in a twist of fate, the two of them will discover their feelings for each other. Mangaquest one-shot.


***For Light-Sakura, who won this for getting the fiftieth review on 'For Vengeance!' Yeah, it's just a Mangaquest oneshot, but I hope you all like it! ;D***

"Crystal, there's been spottings of what look like Hoenn Pokemon up near the rivers near Blackthorn," said Professor Oak, reading the mail on his computer, to the blue-haired girl who was busily sorting out different research papers. "Could you take a look for me?"

"Of course, Professor!" agreed Crystal excitedly. That was only a few hours away from the New Bark Town Research Center- she could probably be back by nightfall. Not to mention she was itching for some fieldwork- she'd been stuck doing paperwork in the lab for about a week. "It'll be my pleasure!"

"Hmm... But there's an issue." Professor Oak looked apologetic as he turned to face her, and slightly sheepish. "Crystal, I know that you're well-capable of taking care of yourself... But..."

"But what?" she echoed dubiously, eyebrows creasing.

"Apparently some of the Pokemon spotted are well- dangerous to say the least and it would be terrible if one attacked you while you weren't paying attention. Could you take someone to help you?" he asked, though it was clear from his serious state that he wouldn't let her go alone no matter what. Crystal knew where this was going, and tried desperately to think of a different solution.

"I could have my Pokemon watch..." suggested Crystal, though she sounded hesitant as the Professor didn't falter in his sharp gaze. "... Did you have someone in mind?" Though, she already knew what he was going to say.

"Gold lives about two houses away," he said, tossing her a bag of Pokeballs. "I'm sure Silver wouldn't be too hard to find either, but he's been traveling between Johto and Kanto a lot to visit Blue, according to Green. You might be calling him away from a date. And it would take longer anyways."

_Gold?! _Crystal groaned inwardly to herself. Gold was strong enough for sure, but his obnoxious, mocking attitude was too much for her to handle. Not to mention that she couldn't think straight when he was close to her. Not that she liked him or anything like that! Totally not that! He was too annoying and rash, and she was rational and responsible. The only reason she got flustered was because he annoyed her, that was all! Nothing else! She was much less excited now than she was initially, but she had to nod in agreement, finding herself at Gold's door a few minutes later.

She knocked once, then twice, almost hoping that no one was home. If she stared Gold straight in the eye, into those mesmerizing yellow orbs, with their burnt brown edges and luminescent glow, she wouldn't be able to talk. Last time, he hadn't let her hear the end of it, teasing her by saying things like "Meowth got your tongue?" Which had of course made her blush. Not because she liked him! It was just embarrassment, that was all. Just embarrassment and nothing more!

The door vanished from in front of her fist, revealing a curious Gold in bedraggled pajamas. He indeed stared at her, his golden eyes as beautiful as usual, in startling contrast with his jet-black hair. His hair looked messy and rumpled, as if he hadn't brushed it yet, cowlicks sticking up everywhere. She felt an urge to smooth down the wayward strands, to stroke his silky black hair, but resisted. What was wrong with her?

"Crys?" he said, yawning widely, looking exasperated and slightly annoyed, a small crowd of Pokemon gathered behind him. "What're you here for? It's only nine in the morning! I just woke up!"

"I-I need you to come help me with a research mission," she said quickly, words blurring together as she stuttered, cheeks flaming as she struggled to avert her gaze. "Please! Professor Oak won't let me go otherwise!"

"That old geezer wants me to go? To do what? My favorite radio show is on in half an hour! Can it wait until then?" He looked anxiously back at his beloved radio, which sat on the kitchen table, tuned in and ready to go. "Mary's singing a new song today, and I really-"

"Nope! We have no idea when the swarm is leaving! There's no time to waste! Are you ready to go?" she demanded, quickly becoming flustered, instantly transforming as he mentioned his longtime idol, Mary. It was not jealousy. She just needed to get the research done, that was all!

"What? I haven't even agreed to go though!" he whined, giving her a puppy dog look that said, 'Please don't make me!'. She turned her head, feeling a blush creep onto her fac. It was too cute- she mentally scolded herself. Was she going crazy? "Fine... But you owe me a recording, Super Serious Gal! I'll be back down in a sec. You can take a cookie from the kitchen, if you want. Come in- my mom just made them yesterday, they're fresh. Oh, and some of the Pokemon might jump you, but you can just ignore them."

She followed him into the house, feeling uncomfortable at being alone, other than the Pokemon of course. in the smallish space with him. His mom was probably either asleep or running errands, and the silence made things more awkward as he pulled out a seat for her. How unusually kind of him- he was usually more likely to slam the door and reappear in an hour.

"I'll be back in a second. Is there anything I need? What's the mission, exactly?" He was already at the stairs, a chocolate chip cookie in his hand.

"You have to be my bodyguard," she said, sounding immensely embarrassed. She didn't need a bodyguard! But the Professor had insisted on Gold, so here she was. She waited for the rude remark, but none came. What had come over Gold today?

"I'll just grab my bag then," he said, disappearing upstairs.

Crystal waited a few minutes, biting into a delicious cookie as she tried to fight away her blush. She also wondered what was with Gold... He usually wasn't this kind to her. They were friends, but this felt funny. It would feel more natural if he'd just slammed the door in her face so he could listen to his stupid radio show. This made it harder for herself to make excuses of 'annoying!' 'rude!' 'stupid!' for her emotions, which tended to explode when she was around him.

Ataro came up to her, smiling, demanding to be patted on the head. Crystal complied readily, combing her fingers through its soft purple fur, absentmindedly wondering if the Ambipom knew what was up with its trainer. She almost asked the question, just to hear it asked, but the sound of a door opening upstairs shut her up.

"Ready!" declared Gold, charging downstairs in his usual red hoodie and black pants, hat and goggles in place, his cue stick in his hands. His hair was still messy, as it always was, but messy hair looked good on Gold. Crystal mentally slapped herself again. "So, where are heading, Crys?"

"The river northeast of here. Apparently, there have been sightings of Hoenn water-types, and I need to take a look. I'll probably be underwater for a portion of time. You just need to make sure nothing attacks me- I should be fine with my Starmie, but Professor Oak wouldn't let me go alone," she explained quickly, eager to get the research, and Gold's bodyguard duties, over and done with. "Sound good?"

"Easy enough. Ataro, come on!" Gold let the Ampibom climb onto his shoulder, perched like it had as an Aipom, and released Explotaro from its Pokeball. He hopped onto the Typhlosion's broad back, looking mischievously back at Crystal and yelling, "Race you there!"

"Wait, Gold-" she started, but he was almost at the entrance of New Bark Town. After spending a second muttering about the stupidity of males, a certain yellow-eyed one in particular, she let out Arckee, jumping on and holding onto it by its long yellow fur. "That idiot! I didn't even tell him the exact place!" With a howl, the Arcanine started racing to catch up.

* * *

"Man! I need a breather!" gasped Gold, collapsing onto the cool patch of grass beside the river. "Five minutes, Crys!"

"You weren't even running!" she reprimanded him, hopping off of her Arcanine, pulling him off the ground by the front of his hoodie. "Explotaro was!" She pointed to the Typhlosion, which wasn't even breathing hard.

"So what? I'm still tired... and hungry... Want to split some cookies? I grabbed them from the counter." He held out two cookies for her in an outstretched hand, a lazy smile on his face. "Be grateful!"

"Psh," she scoffed at his obnoxious tone, but she accepted the food nonetheless, rolling her eyes playfully. It was warm, having sat in his pocket for close to an hour, and melted in her mouth. "You should be grateful that I made Professor Oak record your pointless show for you!"

"I still can't believe I'm missing it," muttered Gold rebelliously, making no motion to get up from his comfortable position on the ground. "Honestly, that new song was supposed to be _amazing_."

"As is the discovery of faraway Hoenn Pokemon in Johto," snapped Crystal, getting irritated and attempting to yank Gold off the ground. Unfortunately, he was too heavy and fought he grip as well. "Come on, Gold! We need to try and get back by sunset! There's a lot of work to be done!"

"Can't it wait until lunch?" he whined piteously. "I usually don't do anything until after lunch on weekends."

"Gold. You agreed to come," said Crystal slowly, enunciating every word carefully. Gold opened one eye, looking nervous. "And you will do what you promised to do- be my bodyguard."

"Please?" asked Gold, voice a high, fearful squeak.

"No, get up." There was a very clearly implied 'or else' in her sharp, intimidating blue stare, and Gold jumped up, looking sheepish and scared. "Good. Now I'm going to go into the water and find the Hoenn Pokemon. Warn me through this if something is coming." Crystal took out her Pokegear, which was protected by a waterproof case- which wasn't needed, but you never knew. "And fight it off if you have to."

Gold nodded- after all, he had a simple job, granted he didn't fall asleep or goof off, as Crystal expected he probably would end up doing. It didn't matter- she didn't need him here. He wouldn't be here if Professor Oak didn't make her take him with her.

She felt a little embarrassed as she took off her lab coat to reveal a full-body wetsuit that clung tight to her skin, revealing her figure, which she usually never showed. Luckily, Gold had the decency to not make some comment about her body, which while not lacking, was not as impressive as she wished it could be. Instead he just shrugged and watched, looking slightly bored as she let out her Starmie and entered the river to start her search for Hoenn Pokemon.

It wasn't until about two hours later, almost lunch, when she saw the first Hoenn species, a Carvanha, swimming downstream past her. She was so surprised that she almost forgot to take a picture with her underwater camera, but took a picture just as it rocketed out of sight, gone as quickly as it had come. Soon after, she spotted Corphish on the river bottom, clicking their claws as their feet sifted through the grayish dirt, kicking up little clouds of gray, and noting as a fight broke out between two large males for what appeared to be a female.

_I guess this is evidence for a Corphish mating site! _thought Crystal excitedly, jotting down notes in the small air pocket her Starmie formed with its psychic powers, which was able to enclose about half her body. _This'll definitely interest the professor! _

She would have completely forgotten the pangs of hunger in her stomach if not for a call to her Pokegear, which initially set her panicking and turning in every direction, looking for danger. Then Gold's obnoxious voice filled her ears, complaining about being hungry, bored, and wanting her to come up so they could eat. It kind of surprised her that he was willing to wait for her instead of just digging into the picnic basket of food she had left with her other belongings. It sent a warm fluttering in her chest, but she beat it down along with her blush, extremely grateful that Pokegears only had voice calling. After all, it wouldn't do any good for Gold to mistake her overheating for embarrassment or a crush- though Crystal's logical mind immediately pointed out that she couldn't be overheated if her legs exposed to cold river water and if the air pocket was only a little warmer. She pushed that down too.

When she reached the shore, she quickly dried off her legs with a towel and joined Gold on the soft green grass. It looked he hadn't managed to hold off on eating completely- he was almost done the sandwich he was holding, and an empty wrapper of something lay on the ground. She gave him a quick lecture on littering, particularly on littering in Pokemon-filled areas, before grabbing a sandwich of her own.

"Sodidjoufineanyshing," Gold tried to say through a mouth of food, for which Crystal hit him lightly on the shoulder. Rolling his eyes, he repeated, "Did you find anything?"

"Carvanha and Corphish, which before now have only been rarely spotted in Johto. After this, I'll be capturing a few so the Professor and I can study the differences between them and their native species in the lab and try and see why they came here," explained Crystal quickly, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Well, at least you don't seem to need me," commented Gold, yawning. "It'd be bad if you got hurt."

"I told Professor Oak I didn't need any help, but did he listen? No. Sorry you're so bored..." she apologized, noting that he looked ready to just topple over and fall asleep out of pure boredom. "You could go to sleep if you want, I mean, there's nothing I can't handle."

Gold simply shrugged and polished off another sandwich, bidding her a "Good luck" as she jumped back into the water, keeping a close eye as she swam to the middle of the river for yet another hour of research. She caught several specimens of Corphish and Carvanha with the supply of Dive Balls she had brought for the trip, triumphantly placing them in a pouch, eager to get back to examine them with the professor. She had gone to Hoenn a few months ago, staying with the Birch family, and caught virtually every Pokemon in the region, so the research could start immediately when she returned.

She didn't hear her Pokegear ring as she spotted a green-backed Carvanha, taking in a deep breath of surprise as she noted the sparkles in the water beside it. A shiny Pokemon! Even she, who had caught hundreds of Pokemon, had only found a shiny Pokemon less than a dozen times!

_Come on Crys, you can do this_, she encouraged herself, being extra cautious as she commanded her Starmie to slowly swim above it, ready to paralyze it with Thunder Wave and weaken it with Shock Wave. _This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!_

The Pokegear rang again, louder and more incessant this time, and Crystal shoved it to the back of her mind, too intent on her catch. She selected a Dive Ball, and right at the moment when her Starmie attacked- she found herself eye-to-eye with a Sharpedo. An _angry_ Sharpedo.

It glared at her with blood-red eyes, snapping razor sharp white teeth as it instantly sunk them into the gem of her Starmie, shattering the crystal and fainting her Starmie without even a second glance. Her poor Pokemon immediately began to sink, but what was worse, was that the air bubble it had provided, the air bubble Crystal relied on to breathe, had disappeared. And the surface seemed a long way up.

_Oh no_, she thought, staring at the Sharpedo in paralyzed terror, knowing that she had no other water-type to fight it with and that none of her Pokemon could actually fight on the bottom of a river. _Arceus, help me!_

As it lunged at her, she kicked upwards, managing to land a blow on its head, though, it was severely dampened by the water she was forced to kick through. As it lay stunned for the slightest of moments, she attempted a dash to the surface of the river, feeling her lungs screaming for air, precious air. Teeth nipped the bottom of her foot, and she yelled silently into the river with pain, seeing the red blood swarm around her head like a spiral of crimson smoke. The Pokemon stopped for a second, as if savoring the coppery taste, and then charged again, and Crystal knew it would take off more than just a strip of skin.

She looked down as it attacked again, closing her eyes as its giant mouth closed around her right leg- and then gasped in shock as she was lifted into the air. Her first thought was that it couldn't be, and that she had died and was probably dreaming or doing whatever people did when they died. But she soon realized it wasn't as she felt warm arms wrapped around her, and a terrified voice saying, "Crys, Crys, are you okay? Crys, answer me you super serious gal!"

"G-Gold?" she stuttered, still halfway lost in her own terror, turning around and meeting a pair of worried burnt yellow eyes. "H-how-?"

"Oh Arceus, I thought I was too late," he said, burying his face into her hair, muffling the sound of his voice. He squeezed her tight, and as she relaxed in his hold, she realized they were flying on Mantaro, who had plunged into the water and flown out just in time to save her from a gruesome death. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Crystal was surprised by the tenderness in his voice, how it was even shaking, wondrous that he cared _that much_. Usually he acted so apathetic to her, shrugging her off as 'too serious' and 'annoying', whining when she tried to get him to do something, and just being completely obnoxious to her. But right now, he wasn't any of that. He was holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world, his warmth as comforting as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter's night, his voice was low and cracked, as if he were close to crying with relief and worry, and his eyes, his eyes… burned with such fierce relief and love that she felt that she was drowning once more, drowning, drowning, drowning and never to return….

"I-I'm fine. Just nipped in the foot, that's all," she said, her voice surprisingly steady, though she felt a blush spread across her face as she realized _just how close they were._ Their faces were barely inches apart if she turned around to look at him, too close, and yet… all she wanted to do was lean in closer, close enough to seal those last few inches between them. "I- I guess I did need a bodyguard after all, didn't I?" she said, almost with a little laugh, trying to shake off the last of her shock and terror. Below them, the Sharpedo was still circling dangerously, gnashing its teeth with rage, but unable to reach them.

"You scared the freaking _hell_ out of me, Crys. I thought you were going to die. If I'd been just a second later…" His voice trailed as they both envisioned what would have happened, a long, slow silence between them. "Well, at least I was on time."

"Why are you so worried?" she asked him, causing a startled look to appear on his face. "Usually you'd be laughing or something by this point about how I need to be more careful or whatever, but today you're… different. You've been different the whole today."

"Bad different?"

"No… good different," answered Crystal, watching his eyes swirl in deep thought. "Just tell me Gold."

"Well… I decided to get some advice from Silver about how to win over this girl I really like. He said, first of all, stop being a total jerk to her and be nice for freaking once. Second of all, actually make an effort, no matter what you think, not every female in the world wants to grovel on their knees and beg for you to take them. Lastly… make an effort to show you care. Just standing on the sidelines and being nice isn't going to solve the problem," Gold said, breaking their eye contact, looking uncharacteristically shy. "He told me that just a few days ago before he left to visit Blue in Kanto for their three month anniversary. And… I decided to take his advice for once."

Crystal's heart was beating rapidly. _This girl I really like… _It was her, right? Gold…. liked… her? After all the flirting he did with other girls, after how much he would tease and insult her, she was the one he picked? A super serious gal who seemed to just tick him off? And… she liked him too, didn't she? Wouldn't her cheeks flame up when he teased her, wouldn't she love it when he laughed, wouldn't she want hold him close when she was afraid? He was what she wanted. And… a miracle of miracles, he wanted her too.

"So… did it work?" asked Gold as she remained silent, sounding nervous as he did so. Gold never sounded nervous. "Crys, I get it if you don't like me-"

"I- I do," she said, in barely a whisper. As he didn't reply, she said louder, "I do like you Gold. I… I really, really like you."

"Really?" His voice jumped high with jubilation and disbelief, and as Crystal looked back at him, she smiled. He looked incredibly adorable with that excited smile, with his eyes shining brightly with joy. "Really Crys, really?"

"Really," she confirmed, taking the initiative and leaning in close, finally sealing the distance between them with a kiss. His lips tasted sweet, like the cookies he had given her, and were warm and comforting. His fingers wrapped themselves in her hair, and she felt him recover from the shock and then take control, kissing her with unbelievable skill, and she gasped, completely new to the experience. It felt amazing as the air rushed past them, and if even if they weren't flying, Crystal was sure it still would have felt like it, with the blood rushing through her head and the feeling of weightlessness in her body, and there was nothing in her existence but this. This moment, this kiss, this feeling of pure exultation. Nothing else.

The only thing that could have possibly broken off their kiss was a lack of air, and alas, that was what happened. Both of them were grinning as they gasped for oxygen, ready to reinitiate that unforgettable moment and reenact it all over again on land as Mantaro reached the shore. They went for so many, that Crystal lost count, that all she could even see was Gold and his incredible eyes, that all she could feel was his arms wrapped around them, that all she could taste were those sweet, delicious cookies, and a flavor that was completely just Gold. And she wanted nothing else.

"So, Crystal, how did the research go?" asked Professor Oak as Crystal entered the lab the next morning, face flushed from a recent kissing session with go. "You didn't stop by my lab last night, so I was worried something might have happened-"

"Nothing happened, Professor!" said Crystal extremely fast, embarrassment flooding her face. "Here, I have the Pokemon I caught! Look! Corphish, Barboach, Whiscash, Crawdaunt, Carvanha, Sharpedo, and Clamperl! Oh, and I caught this one last!"

She took the last Pokeball out of her bag, remembering how she had decided to catch one last Pokemon before leaving to return to New Bark Town. The heart-shaped pink Pokemon had leaped out of the water and swam up to the shore where she and Gold had been sitting, practically begging to be captured. It didn't even put up a fight as she simply tapped the Pokeball to its snout, enclosing it immediately in the ball. It had seemed weird, until she read it's Pokedex entry: "This heart-shaped Pokemon has earned its name by swimming after loving couples it spotted in the ocean's waves."

"Ah, a Luvdisc!" said Professor Oak, chuckling as he released and examined it. "These are pretty rare, even in Hoenn! Quite special too! There's a rumor that a couple that finds a Luvdisc is promised eternal love…"

"E-eternal love?!" squeaked Crystal, unable to hold in her excitement. "I-is that true, Professor?"

He looked at her, confused, before replying, "Well, supposedly it is, though, I'm not sure how well such theories hold up under scientific investigation. You could test it, if you like," he joked, not noticing how seriously Crystal was taking him.

"I hope it's true…" she murmured quietly, thinking for once not of the research, but to get out of the lab, out to where Gold was waiting. "There's nothing I want more."

***I hope you all liked it! ;3 Feel free to leave a review if you did! Now I need to get to bed, so, see you all!***


End file.
